FLYBY (b. bradshaw)

𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙍𝙏𝙔-𝙉𝙄𝙉𝙀

"Okay, Rooster, get us in touch with that boat," Lilah said, as she scanned the skies for enemy aircrafts.

"I'm working on it," he snapped back, irritated. "Radios out. No radar. Everything's dead back here." Silence, some clicking. "What do I do here? Talk me through it."

Lilah sucked in a breath through her teeth. Her grandfather had always been the one to do all of that.

"Okay, first the radio. Throw the - uh, um, the UHF-2 circuit breaker. Try that." Lilah instructed, racking her brain.

"There's 300 breakers back here. Anything more specific?" Bradley asked.

"I don't know, Bradley, I'm a pilot," Lilah grumbled back. "That was more your dad's department."

"I'll figure it out."

The jet was quiet, save for the hum of the engine as Bradley ducked his head down to examine all of the breaker's.

"Lilah." Panic spiked in Lilah's stomach as his muffled voice reached her. "Tally two, 5:00 low."

She glanced down and sure enough, Bradley was right for once.

"What do we do?"

Lilah turned full around in her seat. "Okay, listen. Just be cool. If they knew who we were, we'd be dead already."

"Well, here they come," Bradley drawled, his southern accent becoming thicker in fear. "What's your plan?"

Lilah sighed. She was having to think way too much and make up way too many plans for almost having died less than an hour ago.

"Just put your mask on and shut up."

He clipped in his face mask.

"Remember, we're on the same team. Just wave and smile, people like that, right?"

"Not enemy aircrafts, Lilah!"

"Just wave and smile," Lilah repeated, plastering a big smile on her face. She could only hope that Bradley was doing the same.

The first aircraft soared up to be level with them.

Lilah held up her hand and waved. Behind her, Bradley's hand was stiff as he held it up. She refrained from turning around to strangle him.

She tapped her head, hoping it meant something, and then gave them a thumbs-down. The pilot put his hand up straight, fingers together, and motioned forward twice.

"What's that signal? What's he saying?" Bradley demanded, his voice coming out muffled, like he was talking through his teeth.

"No idea. I have no idea what he's saying." Lilah replied, continuing the same motion over again.

Three fingers were held up from the pilot.

"What about that one? Any ideas?"

"No, never seen that one either." Lilah kept on smiling and nodding her head. She hoped that the other pilot knew that she meant she understood.

The pilot soared away and Lilah whipped around in her seat. "Oh, shit. His wingman is moving into a weapons envelope." She glared at Bradley as he turned full around in his seat to stare. "All right, listen up. When I tell you, you grab those rings above your head. That's the ejection handle."

"Hurricane?" Bradley asked after a few beats of silence. "Is there any way to outrun these guys?"

Lilah hung her head low, sucking in a breath, the lie on the tip of her tongue. She wished she could see him, maybe see the spark in his eyes. "Yes."